Super Eagles goalkeeper Stanley Nwabali remains hopeful that the team will still have a chance of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup in the USA, Canada, and Mexico, despite their poor run in the qualifying series, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
After six matches, the Super Eagles are fourth in their qualifying Group C with seven points, six points behind the South Africans, who lead the group with 13 points.
The three-time African champion began their campaign with two uncompromising draws against Lesotho and Zimbabwe in November 2023.
After returning from their second-place finish at the 2023 AFCON, which was held from January to February 2024 in Ivory Coast, the team still couldn’t muster the needed results, playing another draw against South Africa in Uyo before they were beaten 2-1 by the Benin Republic in June 2024.
The first four games were managed by former coaches Jose Peseiro and Finidi George, each with two games.
Franco-Malian coach Eric Chelle took over in March and handled two more games – a 2-0 win against Rwanda in Kigali and a 1-1 draw against Zimbabwe at home, leaving the team on seven points after six matches.
Despite being six points adrift of the automatic qualifying spot, Nwabali believes they still have a good chance.
“We are working towards it. I know it’s not going to be easy. We are Nigeria doesn’t mean we are going to win every one. But we are going to see how we gto. We still have a lot of hope and we still feel like we are going to qualify,” Nwabali said during William Troost-Ekong’s charity match in Lagos.
Nigeria’s chances of catching up with the group leader, South Africa, are also being fueled by the potential points deduction that has rocked the Bafana Bafana after fielding an ineligible player during the series.
The Super Eagles will resume their 2026 World Cup qualifiers campaign in September after a busy window in June.
They won the Unity Cup in London earlier this month after beating Ghana and Jamaica, while the team also played a 1-1 draw against Russia in another friendly game.
With four games left in the series, Chelle’s men will face Rwanda (home) and South Africa (away) in September, while their last two games are against Lesotho (away) and the Benin Republic (home) in October.
